Marlène Mocquet, born in Maisons-Alfort in 1979, currently lives and works in Paris. After graduating from l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, she established herself as a recognized artist with her paintings and ceramic sculptures, which shape a peculiar, hectic world. There is something surrealist and fairytale-like about the enchanting bestiary of Marlène Mocquet. Her ambiguous creatures, both threatening and jovial, suggest the naivety of childhood and a more disturbing world at the same time. The work of Marlène Mocquet is characterized by close attention to materials: the vibrant colors are dribbling and overflowing. Her horrific birds, deformed animals, and nightmarish characters stare at you with round eyes as each artwork tells a story.
In 2013, she took part in the artistic residency of the Sèvres Ceramic Manufactory, and in 2017, the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris invited her to exhibit within its collection. Since then, several institutions have held solo shows dedicated to her work, such as the Maison des Arts de Malakoff, the Musée de l’Abbaye in Sainte-Croix, or the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyon.
Marlène Mocquet also exhibited her work at the Museum of Art and Design (New York), the Haunch of Venison Gallery (New York), the Shanghai Biennale, the Ricard Foundation (Paris), the Maison Rouge (Paris) or Private Choice (Paris). Some of her artworks are now part of notorious French and international collections: Musée d’art contemporain (Lyon), Fondation Galerie Lafayette (Paris), Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Collection François Pinault, Manufacture Royale de Sèvres. In 2018, Numa Hambursin won the AICA prize for art critic with a presentation of the work of Marlène Mocquet.
In early 2021, her permanent installation was inaugurated in the ceiling of Hôtel Richer de Belleval in Montpellier; her work was also shown in a solo exhibition at the Julio Gonzales Gallery in Arcueil. In 2022, Marlène Mocquet was granted a carte blanche for a solo show at the Joseph Déchelette Museum in Roanne. In 2023, Marlène Mocquet held another solo exhibition at the GGL Foundation in Montpellier.
Marlène Mocquet is represented by galerie EAST.
Visit Marlène Mocquet’s website and Instagram page.
Featured work
Selected works, 2018-2022
